The Zone Diet

Written by Helen Glenn Court

The Zone diet is sweeping the country, and many people are wondering whether they, too, should participate. The Zone diet is just what it sounds like it might be: yet another diet for Americans to try. Americans are a diet happy people. One diet after another comes into fashion and goes out. Many are absurd. Most are hopeless. A good many, though, have a great deal of merit. The Zone diet would seem to be one of these.

What Is the Zone Diet?

As with any rational and balanced plan, the Zone diet has several components. In one corner is what you eat; in another, exercise. Along with them, and just as important, come monounsaturated fats--olive oil, nuts, pumpkin seeds, avocado--and Omega 3 fish oils.

Do eat fat, do eat meat, do choose your carbohydrates carefully, but don't count calories. The idea behind the Zone diet is to control your insulin levels. These affect mood, energy, alertness, and overall health.

Keep the ratio of carbs to meat to fat as close to 40-30-30 as possible. Measure all this by eye, using the thickness of your palm as a guideline for meat, and a fist for carbohydrates, two loose fists for "good" carbs (that is, low density, such as broccoli), one tight fist for "unfavorable" ones (high density, such as pasta or corn). Eat five times a day.